Twisted Metal
by Rinny Queenston
Summary: An argument never ended in something like this before, and now Denmark has to try and keep both of them alive until help comes for both of them.
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, second fic posted here... There's really nothing to say other than this is a sad fic, and I don't own Hetalia: Axis Powers and I don't own the characters. So I hope you somehow enjoy this~~**_

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><p>"You are such an idiot!"<p>

"That's really the only thing you can call me?"

"Well I could call you a fucking moron!"

"Then why don't ya?"

"We aren't going to argue about this, Danmark!"

"Oh right!"

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, glaring at the road stretched out in front of me. Norway huffed and turned toward the window of his side of the vehicle, staring out at the dark forest that fenced in the streets.

"Fucking idiot…" I heard Norway mutter under his breath, partially fogging up the window before it condensed back into nothingness, barely a droplet on the window left behind.

I clenched my teeth and attempted to ignore the coldness of Norway, no matter how much I actually wanted to really fight him. If he could beat me all the time I could do the same, right? Wait… a tiny tremble lightly shook through my body. How could I even _think_ of that? I frowned angrily to myself, though the irritated glint in Norway's eyes told me that Norway thought it was directed at him instead of me.

The tension cooled slightly, but we both refused to speak to each other. It was entirely dark except for the light reflecting off the road and the lights coming from the radio, barely lighting up Norway's features with an aqua blue light.

"Mathias slow down." Norway suddenly demanded. He only used my human name if we were around other humans or if he were pissed off at me. Like, really pissed. Like when he was going to choke me or hit me or something.

I shook my head and checked the speed, finding it was right at the speed limit. Nevertheless I lifted my foot off the gas slightly, hoping that would at least keep Norway from getting angrier. We drove for a few more minutes in the bitter silence, almost as bitter as the wind outside the car.

"Mathias," Norway said, more sternly, "slow the fuck down."

I checked the speedometer again, and it was lower than the speed limit by about ten. "Norway I've already slowed down," I tried saying quietly, but it came out as an angry mumble. I bit my cheek when I saw Norway's even more pissed off glare.

"That's it, pull over. I'll call a cab." Norway huffed, crossing his arms and sitting up straighter.

"Wait what?" My voice was loud and dripped in alarm, "No way! It's dangerous out there at night! What f'some serial killer or somethin' picked you u-"

"Frankly, Mathias, I'm more scared of being in the same vehicle as you rather than a stranger."

My eyes widened and I couldn't help the shaking in my limbs, along with my blood chilling to ice. It was confusing… did that mean I was just a cuddly teddy bear and he was okay with riding with a stranger, or did that mean he was actually scared of me? Goddammit, Norway always confused me.

I cleared my throat, "Just calm down, alright? It's just a few more miles before we reach Bergen, and then we'll stop at a motel or somethin', and you can call a cab, okay? I just don't like the idea of you being outside for who-knows-how-long before a car shows up and _pulls over_." I tried to give a smile but it came out weird, and I was thankful for the darkness that covered everything like a blanket.

Norway's aura and expression did not change though, "Mathias, pull the fuck over." His voice dripped in warning. "Mathias just listen to me. If you still have those abandonment issues then it's your problem. I don't even know why I decided to ride with you; Sverige even offered to take me."

His words were like a knife, but instead of wounding me to the point that my reactions were slow, it only heated up my blood, thawing it and putting it to a boil, but I still felt cold, as if I were at Finland's house.

"You know what, you ungrateful slut?" The words fell out of my mouth before I could catch them, and the fury that clung to them scared me. "I let you live at my house for decades and decades! And seriously _you're_ pulling this on me? I wasn't the one who left when the money ran out! And I fucking raised Island when you left us! Do you realize how much he wanted to see you, Lukas? He _cried_ when I told him you couldn't come over for whatever reason it was! And fuck, who the hell is always beating who? Tell me, Norway! I want to hear _you_, the most violent person I know, say you're _scared_ of Kongeriget Danmark!"

Norway's eyes were wide in surprise, his mouth slightly gaping. He looked scared and surprised, backed up so his shoulder was pressing against the window, along with the back of his head. Our eyes were locked onto each other's, and only when our lock break did I see he was barely shaking. It was amazing that I even noticed it, but before I could act on it we both were flung forward, our seatbelts ripping us back into our seats. I shouted and looked out the windshield, only to see the small figures of buildings, barely poking out over the treetops, in front of us, or at least before the car tilted down, and all we saw were some rocks, lightened up by the headlights.

The thunderous crash was what I heard when everything went black and all feeling vanished in my body. But, besides that, the last thing I heard before my consciousness fully left me was a screaming coming from beside me, echoing through my mind even when the crashing became inaudible.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's close enough to Wednesday... **

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><p>My eyes blinked open, and all I saw was black. I could hear the sound of wind rustling tree branches, and some clicking noises sounding like some little rocks falling and bouncing off of other objects. I peeled myself off the steering wheel, my eyes refusing to adjust to the darkness. It was still night… and I guessed that was good, it meant I wasn't out for long. The light from the radio was off, and when I turned I couldn't see Norway, but I could feel a breeze coming from his side of the car, as well as hear the sound of rain pattering against the surfaces outside the vehicle. Everything hurt… my head, my chest, my arms, my hips, and my legs. Painfully I reached to my right, not feeling anything until I could feel a raindrop land on my fingertip. I pulled back sharply, hissing against the flash of pain in my shoulder from the quick movement. Panic flooded my mind, and I glanced around hopelessly, looking for any sign of Norway, expecting him to be sitting outside and coming walking up to the window stating that I was an idiot.<p>

"Norge!" I shouted, hearing my voice echo through the car.

I bit my cheek and wrangled with the seatbelt until it released me before throwing the door open, the pattering of rain now louder, along with the distant sound of thunder. Norway hated thunder, so he could be hiding out somewhere to shelter from it and the chilly rain. I stepped out with the new hope that Norway was okay, but when my foot connected to the ground flashing white pain shot through my legs, and I crumpled to the ground in a heap, a puddle welcoming me with a freezing splash. I gasped like a waterless fish, my mind losing its fuzziness and clearing. I turned to look awkwardly at my legs, unable to see any details in the stormy darkness. I frowned and turned away from the car, a sense of a primitive fear overtaking me as my eyes failed to read the darkness.

"Norge! Norge where are ya!" I hollered as loud as possible, my voice bouncing off trees or rocks or whatever was out there.

Lightning flashed overhead, and I caught a gleam to my right and instantly crawled toward it, newfound adrenaline masking any pain in my legs or anywhere else. Mud smeared on my coat and smothered my hands, uncomfortably caught under my fingernails as well, but when my fingertips touched a bit of clothing I nearly lunged forward. Norway was lying on his stomach, the slight movement of his torso telling me he was still breathing. I took a deep breath of relief but didn't dare shake the skinny Norwegian in fear of hurting him.

"Norge." I said, wiping some of his bangs from his face, careful not to touch his skull. "Norge, are you alright?"

No response.

I frowned and looked up at the sky, the pitch blackness announcing that sunlight was far away. I scowled and looked around the dark area, a flash of lightning brightening up some of the trees. I looked at Norway then, and decided we couldn't stay in the mud. With as much determination as I could muster I forced myself to roll over onto my back, and I screamed as more flashing pain erupted from my hips and shoulders. I reached out for Norway and carefully pulled him so he was on my chest, safe from the coldness of the ground or any sharp objects. The rain still fell, though, and I thought of how I could protect him from the cold water that coated everything.

Cautiously I awkwardly and painfully wriggled out of my coat, careful not to disturb my Norway. Once free of the warm, black piece of clothing, I draped it over Norway's back to keep him dry. The wet ground now soaked into my red dress shirt, dampening my back and arms. It was cold… so very cold… but I couldn't care less as long as Norway was dry and warm. I sat partially up, up on my elbows with my back toward the trees. I glanced backwards, a lightening flash letting me see my destination before I began to drag both of us backwards. The feeling came back to my legs and every movement caused a throbbing jolt to burn in my bones and muscles, and I couldn't help but smile when my lower back was pulled over some roots. The rain now was all but thwarted from falling on us.

I laid back against the trunk of the pine tree, exhaustion now taking up residence in my limbs and mind, my eyelids getting heavy as I tried to watch for the sunrise so I could evaluate the damages. It only seemed like seconds before I couldn't keep my eye lids open anymore, and I was allowed a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Daybreak brought me back to the wakening world, and I hesitatingly opened my eyes. The sun was mostly blocked by the trees and the fjords of Norway's mountains so my eyes didn't sting, though the birds were obnoxiously loud. The sky was grey but it had since stopped raining from last night, puddles littered the ground, and I just happened to be laying in one. I frowned and looked down to see Norway still laying on my chest, his head tucked under my coat, warmth emanating from under the garment, though I didn't feel like I was getting any of it with the moisture soaking onto my skin. I raised my hand it placed it on Norway's throat, right under the jaw, feeling worried when he did not pull away from my cold and numb fingers. He had a pulse, but it was faint, so faint that I nearly missed it. I sighed in relief and reached for my pants pocket, finding the plastic that I was searching for and pulling out my phone. I flipped it open but felt a sudden rush of panic flood through me when I saw the cracked screen of the phone with some buttons missing.

I scowled and dropped the phone next to me before I wondered of the fate of Norway's phone. I remembered him tucking it in his shirt pocket the day before, so I carefully tucked my hand between the two of us until I found his pocket. I fished for his phone and my fingers caught on something sharp. I blinked and tried to grasp whatever it was, barely cringing at the pain as I drew it out. When I got my hand back from Norway's pocket I opened my hands and gaped at what was in my palm.

Flakes of metal were scattered in my hand, all coated with dark, sticky blood, staining the surface of my skin with red. I grimaced and shook off the bits before I fought to clean out Norway's pocket of any more of the dangerous slivers, more and more blood beginning to appear on my fingers each time I withdrew my hand. When I could no longer find any shrapnel, I took a breath of relief and tilted my head back against the tree trunk.

My breath was coming out in white puffs, and so was Norway's. It was far too cold to be out here without any thick clothing besides my coat. I frowned and looked at Norway when a familiar redness caught my eye. Startled I moved Norway's head over to the other side, a trail of blood running down from his hairline to his jaw showing itself, thick and nearly black from being so old. My breath stopped and I quickly looked for the cause of the bleeding, if any, and finding his pin sitting oddly in his hair.

"Oh god, Norge…" I muttered half to myself as I tried to remove the pin, finding it _stuck_ in Norway's _head_. "Oh god, Norge, this isn't good."

I continued to ramble to myself as I tried to decide if I should leave the pin or try and remove it, possibly causing more harm to my beloved Norway. I looked up just to get my eyes away from the blood and caught the car in my sights.

The front was crumpled like a stepped on can, the sides and corners dented and plenty of the paint scraped off. Tree branches punctured the glass windows, sending cobwebs of shatters along the panes. My eyes switched to the opposite side, a steep but a walkable cliff-face looked toward us, massive rocks piled up at the bottom with a few bits of metal sitting here and there. My eyes rolled up the rocks until I found the road, the fence that would guide drivers to turn having been broken through with ends reaching for the trees, the metal splintered to look like fingers, just wanting to grasp a piece of nature.

An odd, high-pitched sound registered in my ears, coming from the road, so I continued to watch. My eyes widened as I saw a middle-aged lady jog by in a thick winter coat, her orange-blonde hair tied in a high ponytail and kept out of her face. She kept her eyes forward and her mouth moved as if she were saying something.

"HEEEY!" I shouted at her, finding my voice was hoarse and clearing it before trying again.

My heart was crushed when she didn't look our way, no matter how many times I shouted for her attention. Soon she disappeared behind a pine tree, and I was once again left alone with Norway. How she didn't even notice the broken fence was beyond me, and it made me want to throttle something.

Damn it… that's how all this started.

I gave an aggravated sigh and slapped my forehead, slowly letting it drop back to the ground as I glared up at the pine branches. I hated my anger issues, having been a berserker during the Viking days had left me with a lasting effect. Whenever something or someone pushed me too far I would just explode, unable to control myself and unable to stop it from happening. When a medication had come out that would help my temper I became dependent on it, hoping that I would someday not have to rely on them and be _safe_ around my family. They stopped making my prescription, though… so I was left without it for a short while. And goddammit _this _happens. I scowled and bit my cheek, hoping to keep myself together so I could get both me and Norway out of this… _alive_.

I looked back at Norway, still motionless and silent. I checked his pulse again and sighed when I felt it, a little bit stronger than before. Subconsciously I moved to a more comfortable position and pain exploded in my hips and legs. I screamed for barely a second before I was able to stand the ache. I bitterly looked over past Norway to look at my legs, one twisted in an unnatural angle while the other… the pant leg had dark splotches in a few places, but it was numb.

Norway gave a light groan and I jumped, waiting for him to wake up or say something, but never seeing him do either. I couldn't take it anymore and tears welled up in my eyes. I threw my arms around Norway gently, carefully letting our forehead's touch.

"I'm so sorry, Norge…" I sobbed out, "I'm so, so sorry."

A car drove by, and once again they didn't notice anything strange about a missing piece of fence.


	4. Chapter 4

The day passed slowly filled with counting cars and shattering hopes of being saved. It became apparent that when people checked out the hole in the fence they neither saw nor heard me, probably the tree's branches concealing Norway and I from their eyes, but I was not sure of why they could not hear my voice. It began to snow in the middle of the afternoon, the water beneath my back and legs cooling to almost painful temperatures, and to make things worse I could hear the snuffling of curious animals, and that could only mean that big predators, like wolves and bears, would be coming very soon. I only kept myself busy by daydreaming, a practice I did often on a longboat when the waters were far too gentle, land too far away to see, and when there was nothing to do other than lay around the boat telling stories or monitoring the surroundings. I kept trying to check Norway's wounds, but every time I tried I either would have shifted him too much, or it would just plain hurt me too much to move. I couldn't sit up all the way, especially not with Norway lying on my chest, and at one point I accidentally shifted him over and his weight felt like it was stabbing my ribs, forcing me to push him back over.

The cold was so bitter and I made a silent bet to myself that we would have died from the cold before we died from our injuries. I could only hope that I would be the last one to go, as cruel as it would be. Norway could at least have a chance of surviving, being protected with me around, but if I were gone he'd lose his source of warmth (if there was any left by now) and any possible protection from the elements or critters lurking around the woods.

Little plots played about my head, stories of if I did die of the cold and Norway suddenly was better and could walk (most likely impossible), what would happen, how he would react. I played with the thought until it was too painful and cleared it from my mind, choosing a different mindset. I thought about Hans Christian Andersen's stories and decided to play with "The Little Mermaid", my personal favourite, thinking what would give her a happy ending rather than death. A battle, a heartfelt talk, a realization, then the man finally falls for her, realizing the truth and they get to live happily ever after.

It kept me busy for a long while, thinking of how she could have reverted back to a mermaid slowly by slowly, starting with regaining pointed ears, her legs becoming numb and her toes becoming webbed. And I added more interactions between her and the man, giving them names. Too bad I forgot them when a crow cawing interrupted me. I glared into the trees, spotting the little bastard hopping around on the branches, not daring to fly in the daylight. Its eyes blinked at Norway, the coat covering his head so that only a few locks of blonde peeking out of the collar, slightly stained with red. I had examined the wound caused by his pin, finding it not bleeding anymore, which was a relief, but there seemed to be a bad cut on his chest, which I did not dare mess with. He was already lying on his stomach, which was hopefully putting some pressure on the injury. The crow cawed, bouncing to a lower branch and leaning forward, tilting its head as if investigating the coat.

"There's nothin' fer ya!" I yelled at the Valravn. "There's no baby under here! S'get lost!"

As if understanding the crow bounced away, never once spreading its cursed wings and flying. I silently asked whatever higher power was there not to grant the Valravn's wish for infant meat. Sighing, I tilted my head back against the roots of the tree, feeling the cold dampness beneath my head seep into my hair, which had grown stiff with a thin layer of frost. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, an odd drowsiness making my lids heavy. The snuffling sound from the forest got louder and closer until I felt something pushing and pulling the wind on the side of my head.

I opened my eyes and suddenly froze, seeing a large brown face in front of me, a black nose twitching with every sniff. My muscles tensed and I kept my arms around Norway's shoulders, holding my breath as I watched the bear move its head up and down, checking me for life_._ I refused to move, barely blinking when its nose grazed my temple, its hot breath tossing some of my hair out of my eyes, but stinging around my hairline in random spots.

It licked its lips, turning to sniff my coat, barely moving Norway's bangs. The lips of the bear twitched and its mouth opened, revealing large, sharp canines that instantly latched onto my coat. I held in a gasp as the bear tore away the garment, shaking it from side to side in a berserk motion, teeth tearing gashes into the fabric until it shredded to the point that it was undistinguishable, leaving Norway exposed, endangered, and unprotected. My eyes rolled down to Norway's motionless form, barely moving just with the action of breathing.

"TANSKA!" The voice made the bear's head jolt up, ears perked in alarm.

"DANMÖRK!" My heart began beating even faster than it had before with the sound of the familiar voice.

The bear dropped the coat to the ground before turning and bolting into the forest, long gone before I saw three figures stand on the top of the cliff, looking down over the crash site. And then they started to descend toward us.


	5. Chapter 5

I watched as Iceland was the first to descend, leaping like some mountain goat from rock to rock, landing on his toes and leaping off with the grace of a gazelle, closely followed by a plummeting Swede with the agility of a rock and a slipping Finn that looked unsteady on his feet. At the bottom they fled to the car, searching high and low through the seats.

"Ruotsi, do you see them?" Finland asked, his voice quivering.

Sweden shook his head and looked into the snow, briskly walking over and investigating something before looking over his shoulder. His eyes quickly widened and I could tell he saw me, so I gave a lazy wave, letting my hand drop to the ground beside me. The Swede leaped to his feet, kicking up some snow and mud behind him as he dashed over, Finland finally noticing and Iceland peering over curiously, darting over without slipping once and beating Finland to my side. They questioned me in truckloads, their words merging together and jumbling into incoherent sentences. All their faces were in their personal versions of alarm; Sweden's just looking slightly scarier with sweat brewing on his forehead, Finland with large purple eyes and talking quickly, then Iceland with worried wide eyes and his lower lip quivering.

I couldn't make sense of anything they were saying, so I just watched, eyes flickering from one to the other, wondering if I should break into their frantic chattering or not. Finally they all stopped talking and looked down to Norway, their eyes widening even more, and Iceland's arms shot out to touch the Norwegian, but I made a sound that sounded like a gasp mixed with a yelp stopped him, even more so than my own hand that grabbed his, slightly cringing as a dull pain in my shoulder made itself known.

Iceland looked up to meet my eyes, confusion, fear, joy, and sadness rolling around in his eyes like a whirlpool, attempting to suck down his emotions but failing as it continued to swirl away from the depths of his eyes. I frowned and cleared my throat, hoping my voice was still there from shouting at cars and thirst.

"Don't, he's hurt worse than I am." I tried saying, my voice harsh and painfully rough.

Pain shot up my leg and I shouted, my shoulders jolting and my head rolling backwards, clenching my teeth and grinding them together with my eyes shut tightly. The pain subsided and I looked down to see Sweden with his hands hovering above my leg, the one that was crooked awkwardly, his one eyebrow raised and his lips in a thin line. I hissed when he replaced it right where it was bent and he removed his palms.

Finland was already on his phone, probably calling an ambulance, and he started asking me questions. "How badly are you hurt? What are all your injuries? What about Norway? Is he _alive?_"

That sent Iceland on an emotional rampage, his eyes pooling with tears before they spilled, his fingertips in his mouth as he shivered, eyes locked onto Norway's still form.

I answered as best I could. I described what I knew, but that wasn't much. Finland soon hung up, telling me that someone was coming and that they had to carry Norway and me to the road, to which I protested as much as I could.

"Tanska!" Finland finally shouted out a few minutes of arguing, clenching his fists. "They can't get down here, so we have to carry you up! We'll be careful! Just… we don't want to lose either of you!" Though fear was in his eyes, not a single tear sat on his eyelashes.

I blinked and sighed in submission, and Sweden looked at me, then down to Norway before bringing his aqua orbs back up to meet mine. "I'll take Norge first… d'ye know how hurt h'is?"

I shook my head, "His chest is bleeding, but I doubt that's it." I glared at the patch of mud beside Finland, not wanting to look at any of them in the eyes. None of them brought up how I crashed, and I wanted to keep it that way, at least for a little while.

Sweden nodded and carefully rolled over Norway so Sweden could put his arms below the Norwegian's knees and back, unfortunately placing all of his weight on my ribs and making me scream in pain and slightly wriggle away, causing more pain in my hips and legs. Finland and Iceland stared at me wide-eyed in worry and glanced to Sweden, who had lifted Norway off me. I looked over to see if I could see any wounds on Norway, and only spotting a large splotch of dark red on his chest and a long trail of blood going from the ball of his shoulder down to his elbow before wrapping around, probably due to gravity; as well as a couple more red splotches dotting his legs and the rest of his shirt. I felt nauseas and let my eyes drop, the sound of Sweden's footsteps fading until I was left with Finland and Iceland.

Finland reached over and touched my face, startling me so I looked up to the Finn's eyes. "Are you tired, Tanska?" He gave a hopeful smile, and I nodded, causing the smile to disappear.

"Don't close your eyes, okay?" Iceland suddenly jumped in, rubbing his arms. "I-I don't want you to fall asleep…"

"Islanti, I don't think he ca-"

"I don't want him sleeping and not waking up…!" Iceland cried out, rubbing one of his eye with the heel of his hand.

My eyes widened and I reached out to hold his wrist, but my fingers couldn't quite reach and he didn't seem to notice so I let the limb drop. Finland patted the Icelander on the shoulders and trotted toward the cliff, probably going to stay with Norway while Sweden came down for me, and on cue Sweden appeared in all his tall and commanding authority. He bent down to my level when his feet were beside my torso, his eyebrows knitted together on his worried-ish face.

"Where d'you not hurt?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"M'hips hurt…" I muttered, "N' my legs, n' my face, n' my shoulder, n' my chest, n' my-"

"I got it." Sweden huffed before he carefully slipped his arms under my knees and then placing his other hand on my shoulder blades.

He lifted me carefully, though that didn't help the flurry of pain rush through my muscles and tendons, trying to hold back a scream but making a slight shout that sounded partially gargled. Sweden's lip twitched and I frowned, and he began to walk to the rocks beside the cliff. Every step was like a golf club being bashed against my legs, and every time Sweden's foot would hit the ground I would respond with a pained hiss, gasp, or slight yelp. Iceland walked behind us, scowling at Sweden's hills.

"Be careful…" I could hear Iceland grumble. Sweden never responded.

Without warning I was sort of tossed over Sweden's shoulder, shouting when more pain erupted from my hips, tears falling in droplets down my cheeks. I didn't want Iceland to see the drops of moisture but I couldn't stop them, and he looked alarmed to see the tears. It just hurt so fucking bad I couldn't help myself…

Sweden carefully stepped up the boulders, using one hand for balance as he held me in place with the other, hesitating whenever I responded to the pain in my body. Finally at the top he walked far from the edge and placed me on the side of the street beside Norway, lying me down beside the blonde man, still unconscious and looking like a bloody version of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. Sweden sat awkwardly by me, hesitating to check me for any other wounds while Finland attended to Norway, Iceland pacing in the middle of the road, his hands over his ears as if he couldn't believe what was happening. Then I remembered.

"Island…" I called out, and Iceland turned toward me, a quivering frown on his pristine face. "Can you get my coat? A bear got a hold of it… shouldn't be too far from the car…"

Finland gasped and covered his mouth, "A BEAR CAME BY YOU GUYS?"

I nodded and refused to answer anything else the Finn shot at me and watched as Iceland walked off to the edge and disappeared in a leap, coming back a few seconds later with a tattered black and red coat in his arms. He looked a bit depressed about the thing's destruction.

A loud siren filled the air and a yellow vehicle pulled up beside us, men in white uniforms jumping out of the cab and the back, swarming over to Norway and me, pulling stretchers over and hastily placing us in them before rolling us to the ambulance. Sweden and Iceland were allowed to ride since they were related to us, but Finland had to drive, and I felt bad for him. He was as much as a family member as Iceland or Sweden, though he wasn't a Viking, but he was still so close to us it made me mad he couldn't be with us now.

A mask was placed over my nose and I blinked curiously around, spotting the same thing happening to Norway. Something pricked my arm, and when I looked down I saw a syringe in my skin, a gloved hand pushing the injection into my veins, and then everything went dark as my eyes rolled into the back of my head.


	6. Chapter 6

Distant voices. They surrounded me and swirled just out of reach, sounding as if they were under water. I stood at the edge of reality and the oblivion of my mind, feeling the water ripple around my ankles, ripples being sent off across the border. I had been trying for what felt like a century, trying to get to reality, but being refused the air I needed to breathe once I ducked under the surface, so I swam back up, into the dream world to take in greedy gasps. I tried desperately to get to the bottom of the ocean of reality, the voices completely clear under the water, yet soft and gentle like the whispers of elves. I tried again, the voices once again clear, and determination flooded my veins like water escaping a crumbling dam. I wanted to know who owned those voices, whose voices came from who, and if they understood why I was here, in this world on an edge.

The voices suddenly became louder as I swam farther below, and I felt weight crash on me, a soft cushion underneath my back and under my head to soften my fall, my eyelids shut so nothing registered in my vision other than blackness. The voices were quiet and soft, as if they were trying to avoid waking a napping child.

I opened my eyes and glanced around the room, the white walls slightly startling me and attacking my sensitive eyes, the walls reflecting sunlight that streamed into the room from the closed windows, loose white curtains falling over the walls pointlessly. I rolled my eyes over to the other side of the room, spotting all of my family minus one lingering by the door by a familiar figure, broad shoulders fit snugly underneath a white lab coat, falling straight down rather than following the muscular curves of his torso. I spotted Sweden's eye as it seemed like he noticed my consciousness, and he tapped the doctor on the shoulder before pointing over in my direction.

The doctor looked over, and I immediately recognized the Band-Aid over the bridge of his nose and the brown hair that stood up in several places over his skull. Australia. I didn't know he was a doctor, but I guessed that with all the dangerous animals and whatnot in his country it would only make sense for him to be an expert in the medical field. He smiled and quickly walked to my side, and I was surprised he wasn't wearing khaki shorts for once in his life. He was holding a clipboard and he held a pen over it, but before he could utter a single word Iceland and Finland flocked to his sides, their eyes wide and alarmed.

"Norja!" Finland shouted out loud, a blissful smile spreading across his face as he reached out to grasp my hand, being swatted by Australia's own, a look of irritation on his face now.

"Don't touch him until I can make sure he's a'right." Australia scolded, but he didn't push them away from the bed. Maybe it was Iceland's wide lavender eyes that gained them the right to be so close to me. "Anyway; Norway, does your chest hurt?"

I blinked at them, "No… should it?"

He scribbled down something and turned back to me, "Nope. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"I feel like roadkill." I couldn't help but notice Iceland's lip twitching at the comment.

"What's the matter?" I demanded, looking at each one of my family members and Australia, not finding Denmark amongst them. "Where's Dan?" They all looked away.

"Norway," Australia spoke up, "what do you remember about the drive with Denmark?"

I thought about it for a moment, the memories of the night foggy and unclear, but I could faintly detect memories of shouts, only one picture vivid in my mind, of Denmark's face, twisted with fury, eyes almost burning, taking his gaze off the road to scream at me, looking like a snarling cat with the way his face crinkled around his nose and mouth as he shouted. After that image it all faded to black, and it felt like I was dreamlessly sleeping, hearing muffled voices in the deep slumber, not making sense of any of it.

Fear began to ebb at my chest as I spoke, "Denmark and I… we were fighting in the car, and things just got really bad…" I looked away, "and we… I think we hit something… I can't remember."

The Australian nodded and scribbled down something on his clipboard, "You didn't just hit something." He told me, "Denmark broke through a barrier along the side of the road and the car drove off a cliff, you both hit a tree and you were thrown from the car from the impact."

I jolted up, "What? Then… what about Danmark?"

"I was getting to that," Australia huffed, "Denmark was pretty… battered. He woke up and couldn't find you, said he was scared and tried to get out of the car, but not only was his leg broken and the other one gashed, but the place where the hip connects to his left leg was shattered. He found you and dragged you on his stomach back to under a tree where Sweden, Finland, and Iceland found you a long while later. He kept y'alive by keeping his coat over you and keeping you warm and safe."

"That still doesn't tell me where Danmark is. Is he in a different room?" I asked, a little flustered by the new information, and I watched as Australia licked his lips in nervousness, thinking over his words before he spoke.

"You were in worse condition…" the brunette explained, "your pin got lodged in your head, but luckily it got stopped by your skull. Plenty of your bones are broken, but… your heart… it was damaged pretty badly."

"And?" I prodded, and Finland gave me a look that told me to relax so he could explain.

"Y-Your blood type and Tanska's are the same… and…" he chuckled, a sad smile pulling his lips up easily, "well you've always had his heart, only now you literally do."

My jaw fell and I stared at them like they were crazy, quickly pulling at the collar of my hospital gown away from my collar bone and looking down at the confines of fabric, staring at the thick bandages that covered my chest, and as I began to tear at them Australia's hand caught mine. I looked up at him wide-eyed, startling him as my stoic-expression faded to show the emotions behind the mask.

"Where's Danmark?" I asked, voice quivering, and Australia gave me a pitiful frown.

"He's in critical right now." He added, "England came in to safely let you two switch hearts, so he has your dying one while you have his healthy one…"

I quivered with the thought and placed my hand over my heart, feeling the steady heartbeat strong in my chest, wanting to run and find Denmark, but I was drowsy, eyelids heavy once more though my mind was screaming for Denmark to be okay.

"C-Can I see him?" I asked, and Australia shook his head.

"You're susceptible to infection right now. England helped to make sure your body didn't attack the heart since our immune systems are stronger than a human's, but you still have a massive wound on your chest that needs to heal, and as well we gave you a few medications to help with the transplant's success." He explained, "Denmark is the same way, but he's hooked up to plenty of machines to prolong his life, and he's unconscious so he won't feel any pain. It'd be worse for you if you saw him right now, with all that junk hooked up to him."

"Can we do anything?" I asked desperately, looking at each one of them for any sort of hope.

Finland gave a hopeful smile while the other three were grim, "We just need to find a human heart that Denmark can have and he'll be fine, especially with England's magic, and maybe yours, too if you're strong enough by then." His happy aura was contagious, but the nagging thought of how human hearts were fragile compared to a country's, not to mention the increased power in the nation immune system would attack it in seconds wouldn't quiet down at the back of my mind.

Iceland turned and left while Australia put his hand on my shoulder, "We can wake him up soon, when your both better, and you can talk, alright, mate?"

I nodded and attempted to pull my knees up, finding that one of them was casted, blinking at it before turning to where Iceland stood in the corner, face turned away from us. I looked at Sweden, who looked conflicted and pained, Finland just relieved we were okay at the moment but with a lurking sadness that clouded around the base of his heart, all while my emotions swirled about my mind and chest, my new heart incapable of handling these feelings, tears beginning to fall without my consent, leaving trails of moisture down my cheeks.


	7. Chapter 7

Days dragged on slowly, a blur of medications, therapy for my new heart, sessions with Australia, and the worried babblings of my family seemingly lost in the mess of time, the medications I was all but being drowned in made me constantly drowsy, unable to stay awake for too long before giving into the pull of sweet call of sleep. After what I guessed was a week the doses of medications I was getting were reduced, only getting slighter and slighter until I was just the slightest bit sleepy, and a little loopy at times. I sat in my hospital bed, flipping through some photos that Sweden brought me. The photos were of the crash, where Denmark and I had lain helplessly just a week or so before, wounded and bleeding onto the mushy soil, a spot on the winded and twisted roots were decorated with small spots of red, diluted from water and age. The spot where I was found atop of Denmark was mostly dry, the thick branches overhead having protected us; though Denmark's coat kept me dry on all angles while Denmark was forced to lie in a pool of ice cold water. The car was a crinkled mass of metal crunched up against a tree, resembling a stepped on aluminum can, the glass in all windows shattered and missing, tire tracks tearing through the mud, almost all of them filled with dirty water that reflected the cloudy sky above.

I took a picture I was currently done looking at, a picture of drag marks in the mud, and put it to the back of the pile held in my hands, covering my mouth for what was revealed upon removing the top photo. It was Denmark after we were brought in, before we were brought into surgery. Denmark had shattered glass all over his forehead, a small gash on his cheek with dried blood crusting around it, bright red and just… gross. His clothes were missing, and I could see the massive bruises around his ribcage, a few cuts here and there, from his hips down seemed to be a different colour from soaking in muddy water for so long, red marks where leeches had latched onto his skin and sucked at his blood remained. My stomach flipped at seeing him so battered, blood trailing from his now crooked nose and coating his upper lip, unmarked from any attempts at wiping it off, and his right eye swollen and black. I put the pictures down before nearly throwing myself off the bed, heaving dryly into a trashcan that sat on the floor beside the bed, the sounds of me echoing throughout the room.

The door opened and Australia rolled in an empty wheelchair, his smile vanishing immediately and ditching it to help me back onto the sheets, just a little droplet of saliva running down my chin. He gave me a sympathetic glance and took a glass of water off the table beside the hospital bed, putting it to my mouth so I could get the liquid down my throat, my stomach almost rejecting it until it realized it needed the hydration, allowing it to sit in my stomach and allowing more to be swallowed. Once the flimsy paper cup was empty Australia threw it into the trash bin, brushing my unkempt hair from my eyes.

"Maybe you're not well enough to see Denmark yet…" He said slowly, as if I were to try to attack him if he spoke too rashly.

I frowned at him, "No I was just looking through pictures of the crash and one just got to me," I said quickly, "I want to see him. And I want to see him today. If he can die any day I want to be able to see him while he's _alive_."

Smiling in sympathy Australia nodded and picked me up from my bed, instantly startled by my weight when he somewhat struggled to place me into the wheelchair, wheeling over the IV pole beside me before setting to make sure my legs, one of them almost completely casted while the other was free of restraints except for the ankle, were safely on the footrest of the wheelchair.

"Australia!" I could hear a somewhat soft and sweet voice call from the hallway, "Australia, Greece is having another spasm!"*

The Australian bounced up, just as I looked up at him curiously. "Sorry, mate, while I'm running down there I'll have Sweden take ya to Denmark!" He dashed out of the room then, his coattails fluttering behind him before vanishing outside the doorway.

Huffing out a breath I fell back against the backrest of the wheelchair in annoyance, staring at the door for a moment or two before I heard Australia's excited shout that echoed through the hospital corridors. Loud footsteps could be heard then, and I saw a familiar Swede step into the room, along with an adorable Icelander, and I greeted them both with an acknowledging nod, returned by both of them. Sweden strode behind me, boots clunking on the cold tile loudly, his large hands gripping the handles of the wheelchair before pushing me, a childish joy jumping up in my chest at the feeling; Iceland even looked the slightest bit envious, and I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue at him for the sake of not embarrassing him.

"Have you two seen Dan yet?" I asked quietly when Sweden pushed me out of the room, Iceland walking beside me with his hand slipping into mine.

Sweden grunted in a way that meant 'no', while Iceland silently sighed and shook his head. "We were waiting for you; we assumed you deserved to see him first with us."

All of us quieted down at that, none wanting to make more of this depressing topic, but things got lighter when we saw Finland and Sealand, both grinning as Finland held the little blonde boy on his shoulders, the little boy laughing, cheeks pink and eyes shut. He stopped laughing and Finland helped Sealand down to the floor when the three of us got closer, and Sealand all but sprinted over to us, smiling widely.

"We get to see uncle Den today, Norway!" Sealand squealed, bouncing in excitement in front of me.

Before I could respond, Finland walked over and put his hand on Sealand's shoulder, smiling sadly at the little nation. "Yeah but I want you… all of you to be ready for whatever he looks like. The doctors say he's still sleeping, and he's hooked up to a bunch of machines so… yeah… he's about as beaten up as Norja, but maybe not as bad."

Thoughts curious about the being of Denmark reared their little heads, only to be beaten back down with a bitter command. I didn't say anything even as Sweden pushed me down the hallway and through two large doors that were as wide as the hall, wheeling me down to a doorway at the end of the expanse, a window overlooking a garden and a nearby parking lot; I was happy when I noticed the view, Denmark would've enjoyed such a great spot where he could at least amuse himself with people-watching. Sweden left his spot behind me and softly pushed open a door, Finland being the one who pushed me in before being shortly followed by the others.

The room was long and just as bright as the rest of the hospital, the room slightly bigger than the average patient quarters though there was only one bed, and I could see machinery alongside it with a figure inside, hidden behind a partially transparent curtain. When I was wheeled around I could see Denmark's face, and I covered my mouth when I saw him. He was sleeping, a white thin tube falling from his mouth before thickening and going into a machine, smaller tubes falling from his arms and one slightly thicker tube embedded in his neck, angled just so I knew it was going to his heart… my old heart. Sealand gasped and didn't dare move forward, Sweden and Finland urging him to stand by the sleeping Dane, who looked almost perfect in his face besides the Band-Aids that decorated his forehead and the bandage on his cheek. Iceland helped me into another chair, slightly higher than the wheelchair so I could easily see and reach Denmark. As soon as I was settled I reached out to grasp one of Denmark's hand, his other palm taken by Sweden, Finland, and Sealand, all hoping to feel the familiar warmth of the Dane, but his hands were cold. Iceland's fingers accompanied mine, and his free hand took my other, his cold palms startling me, even more so when he leaned up against me, and I could see the confusion, sadness, and just downright questioning swirling in his lavender eyes.

After a few silent minutes Australia appeared, three scratch marks adorning the back of his hand. He gave us a friendly greeting smile, which Finland only returned, and the brunette walked over to the end of the bed, leaning on the edge to stare at Denmark.

"You know, they say if you talk to someone in a coma they can hear you and it increases their chances of wakin' up." Australia explained, "It's been a while since he's heard from you, Norway, I bet he would love to hear you."

I frowned, "You doctors put him under the coma, he won't wake up on his own."

The Aussie clicked his tongue, "Oops, I forgot." He slapped his forehead as a blush of embarrassment crossed his face, "Sorry… but still, he would love to hear your voice. Before he was put under he would only talk about how worried he was for you."

"When will Denny wake up?" Sealand suddenly asked, and Australia smiled happily.

"Well, we could wake him up just before a transplant, it would increase his chances for surviving, but we could wake him up this week, though… that would give him a… an expiration date that'd be due in one or two months…" his green eyes looking down to the floor, "it's your decision, since you're his family and all…"

Sweden grunted, "When can w' get a tr'nspl'nt fer him?"

Australia shook his head, "Who knows? It could be tomorrow, okay not really, but it could be in a year… that's the thing about transplants, we just never know."

The entire room seemed to turn solemn, and we all fell quiet, unsure of what would be proper to be said in this situation. Soon Australia was called away, though his fingers still lingered on the wall even as he left, leaving us alone with Denmark. I watched the fawn's still face, looking contently asleep without being sprawled all over the small bed or turned over with his blankets in knots at his ankles like they normally were in the mornings. I couldn't remember how many times I got all the blankets because he would toss them off at night, clutching onto me in his sleep and warming me even more than the blankets. I wanted for more moments like that, and goddammit my heart wasn't going to take that away from me. Suddenly Iceland's hand removed itself from Denmark's and mine, rising up to the Dane's face and barely touching his bandaged cheek in an affectionate way.

"Dan… if you don't listen to me I'll be really mad so… yeah… listen up and listen good; you better be all right, dammit… I'll be damned if you die like this." Iceland said quietly, a quavering in his voice that was apparent for someone who at least tried to be an emotionless rock, but now his voice was free of any filters, letting pure emotion and thought flow into his words.

"Yeah, Den!" Sealand piped up, "When you're better we can go bike riding!"

"And we can build a fortress out of legos when we get home!" Finland added, smiling widely.

"N' if ya want w'can sleep n'it, too…" Sweden joined in.

I smiled softly at them and decided to join, "Then in the morning's we'll all pitch in to make breakfast, and then we'll go out and play like old times."

Everyone instantly brightened and all threw in new ideas of how to spend time with our family, and we didn't even notice that it had grown dark outside the windows until a nurse came in to usher us back to bed, Sweden taking Finland, Iceland, and Sealand back to the nearby hotel they were staying at and me back to my room. But just before I went passed the thin curtain I turned to look at Denmark's face one more time for the night, and his face, entirely still with sleep and a bandage smothering his cheek, one thing stood out.

His lips were turned up in a lopsided smile. It was so vague I nearly missed it, but it was there. Now, I could be assured he truly was listening. I knew he would be alright.

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><p>*Greece and his spasm: I've decided that with all that's going on in Greece's economy at the moment, he wouldn't really be healthy right now.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Omg so sorry for the long break. Not only did I lose my writing muse so bad, but I had this chapter finished and didn't even realize that I didn't upload it. I am so stupid, sorry. :'D Anyway, yeah... hope you enjoy it. And sorry again for the longlonglong delay. **

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><p>I watched as Finland and Sweden arm wrestled, the two having been completely bored just before and deciding this would be a good way to pass the time. Sweden's arm was shaking with strain while Finland's held relatively still. Australia was here with us, too, narrating the fight so maybe Denmark could enjoy it if he were listening; Iceland sat contently in a chair, sitting cross legged and chewing on some licorice, Mr. Puffin resting on his shoulder and enjoying his spoils when Iceland offered some of the salty treat his way. I myself was holding Denmark's hand, sitting in a chair beside the hospital bed while running my thumb over the toughened skin, still slightly chilly compared to his normal heat that seemed to come off in waves even in the most frigid conditions.<p>

Sweden bit his lip and tilted his head back, slightly hissing to ask forth his strength to beat Finland, but the chubby Finn still prevailed, slamming down Sweden's fist with enough force to crack the table, even. Australia sprung up and squealed then, his face paling and lip quivering with the terror that he would have to explain it to the department, and possibly pay for it, too. As Finland spoke to Australia to calm him down, saying he would pay for it while Sweden awkwardly watched, not knowing what to say, I fought off the surge of giggles that bubbled up in my throat. Just the look of Sweden's face was _priceless_, and I wished I had a camera for it so I could treasure the moment forever. Iceland's lavender eyes sparked with amusement, and that was the gist of his emotions, munching nonchalantly on his licorice. I turned to Denmark and his blank, sleeping face, the smile that was on his lips before gone, leaving only the mystery of what he was dreaming about, or really what was going on in his head at all…

'_Australia, you are needed in your office real quick._' The intercom suddenly crackled, and the brunette cursed softly.

"I hate it when they call me," he huffed, "normally it's to nag me about my hobbies, sayin' they're 'dangerous'. I'll be back, mates!" He dashed off, and just outside the door we saw him spin on his toes and slipping, the door closing and blocking out the view just as his face would have smacked the floor, causing Sweden and I both to go "awwww" in disappointment.

"Damn I was hoping to see him face-plant…" I deadpanned, and Iceland choked on his licorice.

"Norja! Don't say that!" Finland gasped; a little alarmed I had commented at all, "That was really mean! He could've hurt himself!"

"Ev'n better…" Sweden piped up, and Finland fumed.

"Don't you say that, Berwald!" Finland shouted, pointing right at Sweden's face with some kind of adorable rage boiling in his veins, Sweden dropping his shoulders in submission. It was silly, but then again Finland could be terrifying. "I can't believe you two! What if he broke his nose or splattered his brain all over the floor? What if he died none of us could take that I don't thi-"

"Finn you're ramblin'." Ice spoke up, and Finland blushed and dropped his shoulders, all the rage draining from his body and gaining a somewhat… exhausted appearance.

"Oops, sorry, Ice." Finland mumbled; leaving me to silently smirk at all that was going on around me, the chaos all too amusing.

The door suddenly banged open and Australia slid in like some sort of action movie star, his wide green eyes glistening so vibrantly that if I hadn't known better I would have guessed that he had just discovered the City of Diamonds or something. He was practically bouncing when he got still, and his words came out a blabbering mess, and he wouldn't calm down no matter how hard we tried to talk over him until Iceland threw a piece of licorice at his head, seeming to snap him out of his delusion.

"Oh, sorry…" he gasped, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Okay so I was down in the office and everything and I was expecting either nagging or bad news, which is obviously negative so I wasn't looking forward to it but get this, mates! We can do the transplant! The main guy up there just got the call, so we can schedule the surgery in three days!"

A silence overtook the room, an extremely thick silence as the information needed to be processed. I was the first one to respond after a few minutes, springing up from my chair and stomping up to a suddenly fearful looking Australia before nearly crushing him in a hug, a rare show of affection to anyone outside our family. Australia choked and wheezed as all the oxygen was crushed from his lungs, panic overtaking his expression just as his cheeks turned blue and purple. I released him then and grabbed his face and held it in my hands, staring into his bewildered green eyes.

"If I didn't have any shame I would have kissed you just now." I mumbled, and Finland squealed about me being sick or something, I wasn't really listening; all I could think about was the fact that Denmark was going to have another chance, and I could scold him for being so reckless with his life the second he woke up and grinned that stupid grin.

The realization seemed to hit everyone else and it made the room erupt into a fit of joy. Finland laughed and smiled, pouncing onto Sweden who had a very soft but prevalent smile pulling at his thin lips while Iceland had a wider smile than I could ever remember ever since he grew up to be such an ass. I then dashed across the room and up to Iceland, wrapping my arms around his waist and squeezing, causing him to sputter and seeming to self-destruct, but then again he wasn't as built and as sturdy as Australia...

Australia said that by the time we came in the next morning that Denmark would be awake, and I wished I could be there when his eyes would open, to see those eyes light up when they saw me, like a puppy's when their owner is returning home after having spent the day at work. I would never admit it out loud but I missed his happy expressions, his loud laughter, and how he would snuggle up to anything like a kitten wanting attention. Sealand was dropped off by England during our visitation, and England even came in to see Denmark, seeming completely surprised when we told him the good news, while Sealand screamed in happiness and clung onto Sweden, his hug being returned tenfold when Finland finally allowed Sweden to bend down.

Soon the day ended, and as I settled into my bed my phone rang, no tune escaping it as it was silent, but a series of lights dancing across the screen alerted me to a message. Emotionlessly I picked up the phone and flipped it open before opening the text that was awaiting my eyes.

'_Gud luck with Den 2moro~_' There wasn't any notification of who had sent it, but I could guess from the text it was one of the more laid back nations like America or Poland, or possibly Hong Kong, but then again people could be surprising so it could be really anyone.

Shrugging I set the phone back down and curled up under the blankets, pretending the thin sheets were my own thick quilts that had stood the test of time just for the sole purpose of keeping me warm. I missed the Nisse that ran about my attic as I slept… and I hoped that Iceland had tended to it like I had asked, seeing as it would probably destroy the house if he wasn't; the scampering of the Nisse's feet and the sound of its giggling always acted as background noise when I slept, but the only noise in this place was the soft sounds of souls wandering the halls, and unlike horror movies they didn't want revenge and weren't lost, they just wanted to hang around and check in on patients to make sure they were okay, or even to accompany dying patients on their way to wherever. With no trouble and the promise of my Dane awaiting me the next day I fell into a deep sleep, for once not being troubled by the sounds of screeching metal and the sound of Denmark's angry voice haunting my dreams.

In the morning I walked down to the room where Denmark was in, the rest of my family and Australia waiting patiently as I shuffled up to them, baggy white pants shuffling against each other with every movement of my legs, causing an irritating _shhing_ sound. The hospital was cooler today… the tile underfoot cold as I my slippers were thin, but the warmth that radiated off of Finland and Sealand, as well as the little rays of sunshine coming off Australia, was warming to say the least, so I was barely troubled by the chilly ground underfoot.

"Happy you could make it, mate!" Australia beamed, "Now I need to tell you all that Denmark's not awake yet…" his smiled turned sheepish then, and he grabbed the doorknob to Denmark's room.

Iceland blinked and shuddered, "What? Why isn't he? You said he was going to be just fine…" He looked to be on the verge of anger, but luckily New Zealand swooped in in time to save the day before Sealand could join him.

"He's just sleeping, don't worry, it's not a coma." The curly haired nation said pleasantly, "He has responded well to our tests just to be sure, and like Norway said he's a really deep sleeper." New Zealand blinked dreamily before turning and half-stumbling down the hallway, still managing to look positively adorable and graceful in the process. "He'll wake up when he finds out how hungry he is, don't worry!"

Australia chuckled quietly and rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Well… yeah… what Benjamin said…" He straightened up and opened the door quietly and gestured for us to be quiet. "Denmark will probably be really groggy when he's waking up, so just be careful, okay? I gotta go do some paperwork so I'll be around shortly. Remember if something happens the red button's always there!" He dashed off after New Zealand, leaving the group of us Nordics and Sealand behind.

Sealand instantly tried to charge into the room, and probably would have if Finland hadn't caught him, needing Sweden to catch _him_ so they wouldn't stumble like a bunch of falling dominos into the room. When the doorway was clear of the insane family I looked over at Iceland, who seemed cooled down from his earlier episode, and I reached over to grasp his hand with my own, still so cold even through his silky white gloves. He didn't refuse the contact, our fingers intertwining as we entered the room, Iceland shutting the door behind us quietly, nervousness purring in his eyes.

"Papa, Denmark's still sleeping…" Sealand whispered quietly, looking a little afraid as his blue eyes looked over Denmark.

I walked up behind them and moved to the side so I could see Denmark, his face still pale and almost lifeless, chest barely rising and falling with each shallow breath, but he was lacking some of the machinery from the day before so I knew there was some improvement; the tube that was going down his throat the other day was missing, as well as some of the tubes that were running through his limbs, though the spots where they were buried were red and blue as well as swollen. We took our spots that we had occupied last night, with me and Iceland sitting beside him with Sweden and Finland at the foot of the bed, Sealand occupying Sweden's lap as he impatiently awaited any signs of life to come from the sleeping Dane.

Cautiously I took Denmark's hand, which seemed warmer, and I held it against my cheek, Iceland appearing conflicted with wanting to do the same, and I willed him to before Sealand could snatch the Dane's hand away. Suddenly Iceland seemed to get a gust of courage and he stood up, leaning over the bed so his face was beside Denmark's, the white locks that normally hugged Iceland's face to make him resemble a barn owl now falling to tickle the fawn's cheeks, which seemed to twitch beneath the tips of shining silver.

"Daaaaaanmörk…" Iceland said quietly and softly, startling me he'd be so bold. "Danmörk wake up, you promised we could go build a snowman today." His mouth held a faint smirk but his eyes glimmered with hope, which only increased when a sleepy murmur came from the sleeping fawn.

Everyone jumped from their seats and crowded around to watch as Denmark roused, his head starting to move slightly as his eyebrows furrowed and knitted together as it seemed like he was trying to physically unravel sleep from his mind, a sleepy mumble barely escaping his lips. Everyone had a smile on their face when Denmark opened his eyes, the seawater blue gems blinking as they fought to focus, and they suddenly widened when he saw us, slowly processing the image as they scanned all of his family, his mouth turning up into an extremely wide smile.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." I said teasingly just as tears began to fall from Denmark's eyes.


	9. Chapter 9 - End

**Woahhhh, it's been like, forever. Far too long. For too long evers. But I can say that for losing my muse, I'm extremely happy I got it back for this. I spent months trying to think up a suitable ending for all the reviews I've been getting, every single one makes me smile and I just wanna say thank you~ I hope this ending will be suitable, and I'm sorry it took so long! Luckily you won't have to wait any longer! **

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><p>Seeing Denmark wasn't all daisies and cheering over beer or making a toast to a full recovery like we had all expected. Instead, Denmark was hysterical. He was crying and grabbing onto me like as if I was still injured under that tree, completely ignoring Iceland and even startling him so he leaped out of the way, but instead of pushing him away I tried to let him get out all of his emotions, all of those pent up emotions that seemed to rack his mind and may have possibly destroyed it; as he held onto me, sobbing out apologies, I turned to look at my brothers and nephew, all just as confused as I and attempting to calm our brother down. Despite our attempts, the heart monitor began speeding up, the pace getting quicker and quicker as the bleeps began to flutter and cause a racket in the room.<p>

Almost with a sixth sense Australia darted into the room, asked us all to leave, but not before having to pry Denmark off of me, still sobbing and trembling with wide, wild eyes, as though he were in the middle of a war. Once escorted out, we all stood in the hallway expectantly, all nervously glancing at one another before turning back to the door that lead to our injured Dane, not knowing what to expect when a few other doctors made their way inside, Australia weaseling himself out after a few moments of silence, brushing off his hands on his coat.

Clearing his throat, the brunette regarded us with worried eyes, gesturing us to follow him when he began walking down the hallway, not speaking until Finland built up the courage to ask of Denmark's state.

"So… is he okay?" His voice was slightly shaky with worry, glancing down at Sealand who seemed more shaken up than the rest of us, Sweden scooping him up protectively and letting him sit in his arms as they walked, quietly shooshing him to try and calm him down before he could start crying. "We weren't expecting such a… violent reaction."

"Was he like this in the car?" Iceland suddenly piped in, glancing at me worriedly, and I shook my head slowly, biting my lip as I took a shaky breath, wondering what the devil had come over the Dane I knew.

Suddenly Australia cleared his throat, turning toward us when we were near an elevator, pressing the button and deciding to speak as we waited its arrival. "I'm guessing it's stress or trauma after seeing Norway hurt that badly," he began, keeping his voice understanding and comforting, or at least he tried, "he must've assumed the worst had happened, and he probably feels terrible for it. Not to mention he's definitely disoriented, the last time he was conscious was before the surgery, and now he's full of drugs to keep his body alive and as healthy as possible, not to mention he just woke up from a _very_ heavy sleep. You know when you go to sleep somewhere that's not normal and you wake up very confused?" All of us nodded. "It's like that. I doubt you'll be allowed back in while he's hysterical like this. The best we can do is keep him stable and keep his heart from racing so it won't damage itself further, at least until he can undergo another surgery, then we can see how it goes."

Sighing, I dipped my head, guilt pooling in my ribcage in a very certain spot that didn't belong to me last month. We all stood in silence until the elevator door opened, but I felt a hand on my shoulder that stopped me from entering it with the others; glancing back, I spotted New Zealand, still as peaceful as ever and giving a slight wave to his own brother.

"Hey, I wanna talk to Norway a bit privately for a second. Is that okay?" His voice was still as soft as ever, glancing at me with his pretty eyes before he smiled.

Australia glanced at the other Northern countries for permission, all not showing any signs of opposition and giving the Aussie the freedom to grin and nod twice, keeping one hand on the elevator door to keep it open so he could talk and the other in his pocket. "Sure! Just be sure he's back before seven!" Giving a playful wink, he let the elevator door close, the lamb-like man and me listening to it leave before he addressed me again.

"So, care to go downstairs with me? If I'm not mistaken, Aussie's taking them to the pediatric ward so Sweden's son can play, and there's an ice cream vender downstairs." His smile was genuine and warm, causing me to relax, already feeling the guilt somewhat subside as I had something to distract me from it. Casually, I nodded, and we waited for another elevator, stepping inside when it came and descending to the bottom floor, the silence and the light-headed feeling seeming to take us away from earth.

"So, what do you want to talk t'me about, Zea?" I asked; seeing the other jump at the new nickname I've assigned to him eased a smirk onto my face, even more so when he smiled and chuckled at it.

"As you can guess, it's about Denmark." The quiet sigh left him like a cloud of sugar, which seemed to be his entire personality by what I could see.

Waving one hand up in a circle, I decided to play some more. "Ding, ding! We have a winner. Denmark wins a new heart and possibly a therapy session."

That caused more chuckles to escape the brunet, and I wondered if I had just shattered his idea of me being the ice-hearted asshole of the world. The elevator doors opened, and he lead me out, holding up his hand to say to 'hold on to that thought' while he lead me through a few small mingling groups of other patients and their visitors, all the way to the cafeteria and to a small cart that was definitely selling ice cream. We made our way over and New Zealand paid for two bowls of ice cream, handing one to me before dragging me off some other direction, heading toward a small fountain in the middle of an open area, plopping himself down on its rim, as though taking pleasure from the sound of bubbling water and of annoying children. Upon invitation, I sat down next to him, idly poking and occasionally taking a small spoonful of ice cream, not finding it very appetizing after witnessing Denmark's panic upon seeing me. It came as a surprise when New Zealand found now the time to inform me of what I supposedly needed to know.

"Please forgive me when I tell you this," he started, "but I did a teensy bit of snooping to find out what could cause such an aggressive response to a relatively simple argument. What I discovered was that he had an unnaturally high amount of hormones and other things in his body which would cause an aggressive response. I also looked into some country history and found out that Vikings had a thing that called berserker rage, am I correct?"

I blinked a few times and nodded, wondering where he was going with this information. "Yeah, it was a type of plant our people found, it made us into powerful warriors though it had side effects."

"Which were?"

I gave a few moments thought, the times being so far behind us. "Our people turned very emotionless after a battle in which they used their rage, I know it's affected me. Both Dan and me used the stuff sometimes, though we weren't sure of the side effects in the long run. Do you think it's connected?"

Again, the brunet gave a shrug, taking a large spoonful of ice cream and then hissing at what I could only guess would be brain freeze. "I wouldn't know! It's hard to test for a certain drug if it's forgotten and from hundreds of years ago. What I _do_ know, however, is that he's been on a prescription for many years now, something to help him and his random bursts of anger he would experience without it."

I gave a stunned blink, and we stared at each other for a few moments before New Zealand chuckled. "I'm sorry, I'm guessing you didn't know." I nodded, and he hummed quietly before responding again. "He's been taking prescription, you know that now, and it's for his anger, and the reason why he snapped in the car is because the company who made the medicine closed down, and he's been sober of it for about a month. You can already tell how serious it got, with all the stress of modern life, that lead him to take those pills, and he must've wanted to keep you all from worrying or getting hurt." Sympathetically he reached over and patted my knee, looking at me with stern yet consoling eyes, his eyes soft as wool yet held an intensity like wool on _fire_, though his voice was as melodic as ever. "I want you to know that it wasn't your fault," he murmured, "it was nobody's fault, it's a medical condition, so don't bully yourself over this. You couldn't have known, he was being secretive. It doesn't matter how long you two have been friends or that you should've snooped, he kept everyone out with a bookshelf in front of the door, at least be happy that we found out so we can help him."

Listening carefully, I slowly nodded before taking a bite of my ice cream, which seemed to relax New Zealand enough for him to lean back and devour his like a hungry goat. I watched him with confusion and also amusement, though when he finally showed mercy to the bowl and spoon, he glanced at me and chuckled, though holding his head as I guessed he was assaulted with another bout of brain freeze. "Australia challenged me to an ice cream eating contest this summer, so I've been wanting to train myself. I can't let him beat me! He won't let me live it down!"

That caused me to sputter before laughing, the noise seeming to draw another happy smile from the other, scooting closer so he was beside me and just watching the crowds with tranquil pleasure. We sat quietly as I poked at my treat before turning to look at him, blinking a few times before I gave a distant sigh. "When Emil was still little, Dan and I would hold contests all the time, sometimes Sve would join, but most of the time he would just watch. We'd do things like shave sheep, catch fish, go hunting, or see who could hide from trolls longer. Dan's not a big fan of my trolls anymore." I gave a laugh, and New Zealand laughed too. I forgot that other nations could be tolerable.

"Ah, it must be nice. Compared to you and your brothers, Aussie and I are just children, I bet you've had plenty of adventures and such that we wouldn't have even dreamed of witnessing."

I shrugged and leaned over, cupping my mouth as though telling him a secret, "Well, if anything you're well behaved children, but don't tell Iceland I said that, he'll get in a tizzy."

As though just to spite me, the lamb-like nation smiled at me instead of chuckling like I expected, his smile much too innocent, before he threw himself back into the fountain as I stared wide-eyed, watching him laugh and shake the water out of his hair, before he stood up, now soaking wet, yet his horn-like hair curls stayed mostly in their circular shape. "You were saying?" he challenged, smirking as he climbed out and plopped beside me, and I couldn't help but laugh and wish I wasn't still aching so I could join him in the water.

It had been a few months, and I was sitting on the repaired railing on the side of the familiar road which we crashed, watching the snowflakes collect in the small clearing beneath, the scars still visible in the ground, though the snow was beginning to pile, trying to bandage it like I had bandaged my own wounds. Watching contently, I almost tried to find the car, try to find any remnants of what we had left behind, though it seemed nature had collected it all. It was dead silent, with only a few breezes whistling past my aching ears, the cold wind doing nothing but cause them pain; the silence was broken when I felt a shove, the snow crunching beneath my feet as I tried to regain my balance, whirling around to face the one who nudged me and snickering when I saw the familiar slightly-feminine face of Norway.

I smiled, and so did he, and he grabbed my hand to help pull me back up to the railing, grinning at him when he leaned to rest against the railing.

"So, how's it feeling to be back at the scene of the crime, Dan?" He asked, trying to keep his bored composure though I could see right through it. He was just as happy to see me kicking as I was to see him doing the same.

I gave a shrug, "I'm just waiting to see that bear so I can give him a scolding, and maybe get my coat back!"

He gave a startled blink, before turning to me in alarm. "A _bear_? A bear came up to us?"

I couldn't help but stare at him, how could he not know? I was fairly certain I told him about _everything_, especially the bear. Blinking, I sighed and pointed to the tree that I could remember as well as my mother's face. "Over there, on the day we were rescued, a bear came up and ate my coat."

"No way…" Norway deadpanned, blinking at me before snorting, "I bet it smelled my tasty bones, didn't it?"

"Definitely~" I singsonged before carefully hopping down the rocks that still sat there like the stairway to heaven, stopping midway to glance back up at Norway, who was following me.

He gave a huff when he stopped beside me, though I could see the friendliness in his eyes. He smiled when I started swaying playfully atop the rock I was on, being careful not to slip. "So how's my heart doin', Norge?"

"Wonderful," he simply stated, "just like Zea said, it's a perfect match."

I smirked, ever since the crash Norway had been getting close with New Zealand, doing competition stuff and just becoming close friends, it was nice to see him reaching out of the family group, and also nice to see him being happy about it. Of course, I had to keep up the dramatics and sigh as though I was offended, turning away with a disheartened sob.

"Oh, but your heart wasn't enough for me! Whatever will I do? I feel like I'm betraying your trust!" I peeked through one eye at Norway to see him rolling his eyes, hopping over to me before giving me a shove off the rock and onto the clearing below, and I couldn't help but cackle as I landed easily and pranced into the center of the clearing, following the scar left in the land.

"Get over it," Norway sneered, hopping down with me and strolling beside me, humming pleasantly as he stared off into the trees, as though vaguely remembering the event. "The fact you gave me your own heart is enough, even if it gave me a stupid amount of happy emotions." He gave me a playfully light punch in the shoulder before hopping away, and I snorted before laughing loudly, causing a few birds to stir and leave their branches, which Norway chuckled at.

"What can I say?" I whined defensively, holding up my hands as though in need of insight, "I'm the happiest country in the world! I just spread it to you, Lukas! Just be sure to smile at me so I can keep my status, alright?"

The Norwegian scowled at me, though right afterward he gave a powder-like smile, very faint but very pretty, and I gave a grin as it warmed me up, and suddenly my ears didn't hurt as much. My smile faltered when he approached me, though, staring at me with his deep indigo eyes, though he stepped forward and gave me a hug, burying his nose in my shoulder, and I smiled as I sighed before returning the hug, running my hand up and down his back soothingly as he seemed to burrow.

"You idiot," I could hear him say, muffled by my coat, "don't scare me like that." He abruptly pulled away and glared at me, jabbing at my chest though his red cheeks indicated he was close to having his eyes water. "Next time you have a problem, call me. Don't leave it as a surprise."

Smiling softly, he dipped my head to bump his forehead against my own, smiling playfully as he tried to keep his blank expression, faltering the longer I held the position until he gave up and smiled. "I'll never do it again, I promise." An idea occurred to me, and I hopped up and grinned, lightly gripping the other's shoulders as I practically beamed in joy. "Hey, how about we invite Aussie and Zea to a skiing trip up in your fjords, Lukas? We can get the family together with them and do some stuff! We can also invite Alf and Matt along, too! It'll be fun!"

He seemed to think about it for a few moments before nodding, taking my hands in his and dragging me around the clearing as a childish game, and I joined in as we hopped around in the snow, laughing as we enjoyed the feeling of being together. Though he stopped abruptly, blinking in the direction of the woods, letting go of my hands and striding into the collection of trees, leaving me blinking as I watched him. He had done this as kids when he saw his folklore and animals, he'd suddenly chase after them, dropping whatever he was doing to do so, so I had thought he had found another creature, though when he came back with a shredded piece of black clothing, I could hardly hold back my gasp.

Hurrying forward, I touched the filthy and frozen coat, seeing the multiple tears and the old blood still stained in the fabric, I looked up at Norway, who seemed to be having the same astonished feeling as he felt over the garment with his hands, biting his lip as he did so.

"Lucky asshole…" he muttered under his breath, and I smirked and leaned in to give him a light kiss over where his pin had left a scar, snatching his current one out of his hair.

"I think you're talking to the wrong asshole, brother." I hurriedly sprinted in the other direction while the other ran after me for his pin, though he had a grin on his face, one that I didn't think I'd ever see again.

End


End file.
